Improvement in self-adjusting curbs foe hydrants



JoHN'A. FINNEGAN, or CHARLESTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 81,266,'dated August 18, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-ADJSTING GURBS FOR HYDRANTS.

lge tlgehule niemals in tlgese tetttrs tant zum mating part tf tige same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY .CONC-EBN:

Be it known thatl, JOHNA. FIrAINE'GAN, of Charlestown, -in the, county of Middlesex, and State of'Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Self-AdjustingCurb for Hydrants, Snc.; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in` connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specificatiomis a description of my invention, suiicient to enable lthose skilled in the art to practise it.

`There are many situations where it is desirable to make use of a' curb, provided with a cover located flush or level with Vthe surface of the ground, or with` the surface of the pavement of a street, or the surface ofa sidewalk or path,.to keep the earth from closing in upona pipe or box leading to the gate or valve of a water or gas-pipe, or the passage to a coal-bin, er to a cess-pool, Etc.

Such curbs should always have their upper surfaceson a level; er nearly on a level, with the adjacent surrounding surfaces for safety and convenience of pedestrians, animals, and vehicles, and as the relative position of said surfaces is often changed by the action o f frost and the settling of the surrounding earth, it is a desid,

-eratum to make such curbs with a construction such as will secure'a self or automatic adjustment between their `upper surfaces and the surfaces which surround them, and so that their relative adjustment will not be disturbed by any absolute changes in the level of either.

`'lo effect this purpose, I make use of a curb, constructed substantially as shown in the drawing, which exhibits in vertical section a construction of a curb embodyingmy invention. v

a is a pipe, well, or passage, which may be of any suitable material, and may protect a water or gas-valve er gate, or may lead to a reservoir of any kind. The curb itself is a box, b, of such size and formas to slip easily over the upper end of pipe a, the box being provided with flanges c at its lower end. The upper end Aof the box is arranged as shown in the drawings, or in any othersuitable way to receive a cover or grating.

It will be obvious on inspection of the drawing that the curbV is supported by its broad flanges on the earth, so that it will not settle materially by its weight, and it will also be seen that if the earth settles, the

curb being supported on the earth near its surface will `settle with the surface-carth, so that the relation between the upper surface of the curb and the surface of the earth will remain unchanged.

Heretoforethe curb has been supported directly ou thepipe a, which, reaching below the action of frost,

has not beenfchanged in its absolute position', and hence, when the earth settled, the curb has been left`pro-4 jecting above the surface of thev groundor pavement;` In other cases, which are less common, if the pipe settles, then the condition may be such when the curb is-fixed. to or. forms l partei` tlliepipe, as to draw the mouth orf the curb below the surface of the ground,'or. where the pipe remains with .its absolute position unchanged, the ground may be upheaved by frost abovethc mouth of the curb. All these relative changes of position between the mouth of my improved curb and thc surface surrounding it, are avoided bythe use of my invention.

On the left of the drawing the flange is shown as removable, which is of use-where it is desirable to locate two curbs side by side, for on removal of the langes, the adjacent sides of the curbs may bebrought into contact and the curbs may beboltedftog'ether.

The curb may be made of any suitable material, though cast iron will.gen erally b'c used. l

I claim a curb made with a flange, and arranged relatively to the pipcor well, substantially as'and for the purpose specified. i I l JOHN A. FINNEGAN. Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY',

FRANCIS GouLD. 

